San Juan Capistrano is just one of the missions found within San Antonio Missions National Historical Park/NPS

Texas is a diverse state, with arid plains, bustling cities, unique history, and quiet coastlines. Take a road tour and experience all of it this spring.

Start in San Antonio at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, where the Apache raids during the 1700s threatened the early native settlements. Protection lay in the Spanish missions...in exchange for adopting a new religion and distant monarchy. Rent a bike and follow the 15-mile-long River Walk to these four missions (Concepción, San José, San Juan, and Espada). Get an overview at the visitor’s center and Mission San José. You can easily spend half-a-day exploring this World Heritage Site.

Then head 270 miles to the southwest to the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park. It was here on May 8, 1846, that Mexican and American troops fought the first battle of the Mexican War, which would eventually expand the reach of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. See where General Taylor and General Anastasio Torrejón faced off.

A combination of devastating artillery fire pushed back the Mexican Army, which countered with cavalry charges. But at nightfall, the Americans were victorious, with light losses compared to their foes. Today, the landscape looks much as it did 150 years ago with thorny mesquite trees and spiny cactus plants.

Time your visit to Padre Island National Seashore right and you just might arrive when the Railroad Vine is blooming/NPS

From there, head less than three hours north towards Corpus Christi and Padre Island National Seashore. Separating the Laguna Madre from the Gulf of Mexico, this 70-mile lagoon was the site of Spanish shipwrecks of 1554.

And it’s also home to all five sea turtle species, including the endangered Kemp’s ridley (which nests here). It’s a nature-lover’s paradise, teeming with life.

The seashore is favorite spot for birders since it’s located along the Central Flyway, a major migration route stretching north and south. You’ll have a chance to spot more than 380 bird species - nearly half of North America’s species. There are tidal flats and grasslands, ponds and prairies, all filled with birds.

You may spot the Black Skimmer, White-tailed hawks, or an Eastern Meadowlark here. Or, see nesting snow geese, dancing sandhill cranes (which winter here), and redhead ducks. Thirteen threatened and endangered bird species pass through Padre Island, including the Reddish egrets.